There’s magic to John and Virginia (Jenny) Smith’s story, the kind of charm you only find in a Southern home with a porch swing that’s seen many sunsets and family gatherings. For over 30 years, they’ve shared both a life and purpose and have created a heritage of love, laughter, and strong partnership here in Franklin County.
John was born and raised in Franklin County, the third-born and oldest son in a family of 12 children who grew up in farming and construction. While helping his family build houses, John discovered a love for selling them. This interest led him to pursue real estate classes, ultimately earning his license and becoming a realtor in 1976.
After spending a couple of years working with Jim Matthews, a realtor and auctioneer, John decided to study auctioneering himself. By 1979, he had become a broker and opened his own firm. Over the years, he has weathered the ups and downs of the real estate market, including multiple recessions, but his love for the profession has kept him going.
As John often says, “If you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” and that sentiment has held true for him.
In 1979, John met Jenny when her first husband, a Franklin County native, returned from Texas with plans to buy a home and farm. John sold them a property in Maxwell. Life took its course, and years later, both John and Jenny became widowed. In 1987, John was hospitalized for tests to determine whether he had Crohn’s Disease.
When he woke up in the recovery room, he was surprised to see his nurse — Jenny Glasner.
He asked her out to eat, to which she replied, “Give me a call when you’re not sedated, and we can talk.” A few weeks later, on a dreary Sunday afternoon, John knocked on Jenny’s back door.
She answered with a warm smile, exclaiming, “John Smith, come in!”
After a year-long courtship, during which they attended the Methodist Church together, they were married at the First United Methodist Church in Winchester by Brother Eugene Barrett, who reminded them their marriage was “to last forever.”
They took that message to heart. John joined the church where Jenny and her daughters were already members, and together, they formed a blended family, much like The Brady Bunch. The couple mutually adopted their three younger children, while the two oldest were already adults.
“We adopted each other’s kids to make sure there were no steps or halves,” John said. “They’re just our kids, plain and simple.”
Their three youngest children were close in age, born in 1978, 1981, and 1982.
“If you see pictures of them, you’d think they were natural siblings,” Jenny said. “And they’ve always acted like it, too.”
John and Jenny believe raising a family on a farm taught the children important life skills.
“We’ve traveled with our children as well as worked on the farm and taught our children
needed life skills,” said John. “We’ve done our best to teach them honesty, integrity, and the value of family and friends.”
Now, with their children grown and scattered across the country, Jenny and John cherish the times when everyone comes home. “Holidays are our big gatherings,” Jenny said. “There’s nothing better than having a house full of kids and grandkids.”
When Jenny retired from nursing eight years ago, she wasn’t sure what the next chapter would hold. But John had an idea. He handed her a new career — a house to remodel. Thus, another season of teamwork began, continuing the partnership they had shared since their marriage in 1988.
Situated on the farm they decided to keep after selling Jenny’s family property, the house has grown and changed along with their family.
The family has remodeled their home three times since their marriage. “We built a sunroom after a mission trip to Puerto Rico in 1991. That trip taught us a new construction method, and when we got back, I knew exactly how to build it.”
After returning from a mission trip to Puerto Rico in 1991, they built a sunroom, which is settled on a bond beam foundation, overlooking their pool, a perfect spot for grandkids to splash during the summer. Beneath it, there’s a covered porch where Jenny and John sip coffee on crisp mornings. Over the years, they’ve added a bedroom, converted part of the basement into a den (now a storage room, as life often demands), and, most recently, replaced their kitchen countertops — a project three years in the making.
But the house isn’t their only canvas. Since Jenny’s retirement, the couple has flipped 10 houses together.
John shared that Jenny didn’t know much about construction at first, but she learned quickly and became a natural. They’ve since hung up their house-flipping hats, focusing their energy on their own home and helping others.
For Jenny and John, staying busy is the secret to their vitality.
“I worked 50 years in nursing,” Jenny said. “When I retired, I promised myself I’d age gracefully, just like my mama. She worked until the day she went to meet the Good Lord. I think the secret is keeping active and not thinking about your age but what you can do for others.”
Their days are compiled with projects, farming, and community service. John recently helped build a new Masonic Lodge, a labor of love that kept him busy for months.
“We like to help others when we can,” Jenny said. “It’s how we’ve always lived.”
According to the couple, faith and teamwork are the secrets to their prevailing partnership.
“We’ve faced our share of challenges,” said Jenny, “but we’ve always leaned on each other and the Lord.”
John agreed.
“We just go with the flow and enjoy what we have. We’re blessed as a couple and a family, and we’re blessed to do the things that we do together. ”
